The Other Side
by Tanooki Daisy
Summary: After E. Gadd shows Luigi his latest innovation in ghost research, the two begin a journey through the mysterious Ghost Realm, where new friends and old enemies await them on their greatest adventure yet...
1. The Machine

Okay, this is my second original story that isn't a one-shot, hopefully this one won't die out like my first one did... Anyway I hope you like it, I think it's my best story yet. Please, please, PLEASE read and review!!! R&Rs make my day -

Obviously, I own nothing except the plot and the wording. How sad...

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The Machine

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Luigi said skeptically, inspecting the new machine.

"Of course I am, sonny!" Prof. E. Gadd replied, waving a hand dismissively. He walked up to the strange contraption and patted its smooth metal casing fondly. "This ghost portal will allow me to further my research on the supernatural and expand my already vast knowledge of the matter."

"Let me get this straight." Luigi said, crossing his arms. "This machine, if it works, will let us look into the ghost realm, and also allows ghosts to come here?"

"Of course, ghosts can exit their realm anywhere at any time, if they get the notion," Gadd said, checking his calculations which he had scribbled on a piece of paper on a clipboard in his large hands. "But this is without a doubt the only way _we_ can go _there_."

Luigi cast a nervous glance at the machine. It was a freestanding thick metal ring on a metal base, with steps leading up to the opening. The hole itself was large enough to walk through. The entire thing was covered in lights, knobs and switches. It was brand new, and its smooth, gleaming surface seemed out of place inside the cluttered, dimly-lit laboratory.

"And you wanted me to help because…?"

"Well, you've helped me before with this sort of thing," the aged professor said with a shrug. "I don't really know anyone else who'd be up to the job. You've had experience with the Gameboy Horror, and the Poltergust-"

"Wait, the Poltergust?" Luigi interrupted. "You're going to try to catch ghosts in their own world?"

Gadd waggled his finger at the young man. "You mean _we,_" he corrected. "You'll be taking the prototype Poltergust 3000, and I'll have the newer Poltergust 3001. I want to see if there are any more famous or interesting ghosts I can add to my gallery."

"But- but-" Luigi stammered. The last thing on earth he wanted to do was go into a world full of nothing but ghosts. And the idea of going there armed against them? It was absurd. They were bound to be outnumbered a million to one.

He was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts by a large hand grabbing him by the wrist and tugging him over to the portal. The short old man was hopping up and down excitedly and waving his free hand. "This is it! One small step for men, a giant leap for ghost researchers everywhere!" he cried animatedly. He let go of Luigi's wrist and, after adjusting his large, round, thick-lensed glasses, he reached up and pressed a large silver button.

Nothing happened. Luigi was about to suggest that maybe they should just accept that it was a complete failure, oh well, and can I go home now? when he realized that E. Gadd hadn't stopped at one button. He was busily flipping switches, pushing buttons and turning knobs, obviously concentrating hard.

"Let's see…" he muttered under his breath. "Fourth row up, sixth from the left, third switch, eighth switch… oh, Luigi, would you mind grabbing the Poltergusts and Gameboy Horrors? And my knapsack, of course, and you may want to bring a flashlight or two- it could be dark in there." He spoke without turning away from the portal or stopping the complex procedure of turning it on.

Luigi sighed. It looked like there was no changing his friend's mind; he was going, whether he liked it or not. He turned and walked to a large table, where Prof. Gadd had arranged all of their equipment. Strapping on his Poltergust and grabbing a flashlight (which Gadd kept dozens of) he glanced over the supplies. It looked like the brilliant scientist had thought of everything, except… it seemed like there was something missing.

"Um, Professor?" he said, staring over his shoulder at the metal ring. "How long are you planning on having us in there?"

"Oh, a month or so," the old man replied, as though he were talking about taking an extended vacation on Isle Delphino. "Give or take. It all depends, young feller."

"Won't we need food?" Luigi said, looking back at the gadgets that E. Gadd had prepared.

The professor chuckled. "Ohohohoho, it's true young men always think on their stomachs! No, we won't be needing food. If my theories are correct, we'll need food there as much as they need food here. It'll be like _we're_ the ghosts in their world."

Luigi's stomach churned at the idea of him being a ghost. He shook his head clear of the thoughts and grabbed the supplies. When he picked up Gadd's backpack he nearly dropped it on his foot, it was so heavy. "Oof. What've you got in this, lead?"

"Don't be silly. Lead is much too dense. Most of it's stainless steel and silicon… oh, it's my research equipment," he added at Luigi's questioning look. "Didn't think I was goin' in there unprepared, did ya? Speaking of which, hand me my camera. It should be on top. I want to document every part of our journey."

Luigi opened the pack and grabbed a rather old looking camera out of the bag of high-tech gadgetry. Gadd, who had stopped pressing buttons and flipping toggles, took the camera from the young man and snapped a picture of the large machine. "Could you do me another favor, and flip that first toggle on the right of the doorway?"

Luigi raised an eyebrow. "Wait, toggle? You mean switch?"

"Just flip it, already!"

He shrugged and reached up, grabbed the handle of the large switch, and pulled it down. "Great, now flip the second toggle." Luigi did as he was told, and for the first time he noticed signs of the machine actually working. It was emitting a low mechanical hum, like an old computer. Lights around the mouth of the ring began to blink with green and purple lights. Prof. Gadd took another picture.

"Everything's working! I knew it would, I knew it I knew it! Are we all ready? Everything packed? Do we have extra batteries? Good! This is it!" he cried, bouncing up and down on his heels. He reached up and extended a finger towards the machine, and pressed the large silver button again.

A flash like lightening came from the center of the ring, and the lights in the lab flickered and went out. Luigi squeaked fearfully. "Don't worry; I anticipated that this would happen! The machine is draining the power from the rest of the house! LOOK!" the professor cried, pointing at the ring.

Luigi couldn't have looked away if he'd tried. From the center of the round doorway pure darkness was spreading outwards to the rim of the portal, like a mist made of nightmares. At last the shadow came in contact with the edges of the thick metal hoop, and it seemed to become a tangible thing- the young man was horrified to find that he had an overpowering desire to reach out and touch the darkness, to embrace it, let it wash over him. Let it drown him. He shook violently.

Purple lightening flashed across the opening, but it seemed distant- miles away, perhaps. The bulky metal machine had undoubtedly become a doorway into the unknown. The professor took a shaky step up the first stair leading to the portal. He slowly reached his hand out to the darkness, but withdrew it before he came in contact. Raising the camera to his face and stepping back a pace, he snapped a picture of the swirling vortex.

"Well, Luigi my boy," he said, suddenly solemn. "This is really it. Now or never, this is the last chance to back down. What do you say?"

Luigi was staring into the portal, his bright blue eyes wide. He was terrified, and yet… fascinated, somehow. He suddenly realized that he couldn't turn back now if he wanted to. Something inside of him wanted desperately to see the other side of the door, and he knew he couldn't resist it, no matter how scared he was. He turned his head to face Gadd, and nodded resolutely.

"Oh, good. For a minute there you had me worried," the little scientist said. Then he cleared his throat and announced to the world in general (though only Luigi was around to hear him), "Let the records show that I, Professor Elvin Z. Gadd, at approximately 7:35 PM, along with my friend and colleague Luigi Mario, will with the aide of the Gadd Atomic Displacement Ghost Portal cross the barrier between the world of the living and the realm of the dead, which has until now eluded the grasp of mankind."

He grinned. "How was that for a speech, eh, young feller? Made it up just now as I was standing there. Well, there's no time to waste! This is the single most important moment in the history of supernatural research, so let's not hinder it, eh?" he said, and, hefting his pack and dragging the Poltergust 3001 behind him, he gravely climbed the steps. He paused for a brief moment, and then stepped into the black hole. And vanished.

Luigi stared at the spot where the small scientist should have been. What was he _doing?!?_ He needed to leave, right now. Gadd was crazy; he'd get himself killed in there… Luigi shook his head. No way. He had to go, no matter what. The modified vacuum strapped to his back he found oddly comforting, even more than the thin light produced by the flashlight held in one trembling hand, and he was glad to have it. He swallowed hard, and stepped up to the screen of pure black. Squeezing his eyes shut tight, he bit his lip and stepped through.


	2. Henry

**Henry**

Crossing over was much less dramatic than he had expected. One minute he was inside of the dark lab, the next, standing on a dark street. The sky was black, but not really pure black- more like storm clouds at midnight; swirling and dark and spooky. The cobblestone street was in poor condition, and was illuminated by pools of purple light, which were cast by crooked black iron street lamps holding purple-flamed candles. A few yards away, Prof. Gadd was wandering around, taking in the sights and taking several pictures. He was obviously in ecstasies, and hadn't even noticed Luigi's arrival.

His heart skipped a beat as a terrible thought occurred to him. What if… the portal! He spun around, but to his relief he could still see the vortex, only now it seemed to be made of pure light instead of pure darkness. The light was not too bright or garish; rather it was soft and inviting. He smiled at it; it was very comforting.

"Luigi!"

Luigi jumped, startled at the sudden voice cutting through the silence. He turned to face Gadd, who had at last noticed him, and was walking up, beaming and waving his camera animatedly.

"Isn't this fascinating? The ghost realm in so similar to ours! Look at those lamps! Look at this street! See those houses over there? Maybe not modern architecture, but certainly reminiscent of our world! It's incredible!"

"Well, if by 'similar', you mean it's a super creepy version of a really old town, then yes, it is very similar," Luigi said, looking around. A chill wind blew over them, moaning in the bare limbs of dead trees and making the twigs rattle like bones. He shivered.

"Of course it's dark and creepy," the scientist said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "That's the way ghosts like it! Come on, let's explore. You go that way, and I'll go this way. We'll keep in contact with the GB Horrors."

Luigi looked down at the very short man with alarm. "We're splitting up already?" he said, bewildered.

"Well why not, youngster? We can cover more ground that way. I only wish I'd brought an extra camera, so you could get some pictures, too. Oh, well. Anyway, I'm going. Goodbye!" The old man straddled his model of the Poltergust, which doubled as a transportation device, and rode off, leaving Luigi standing dumbfounded in the street.

After a moment he started walking down the street, stopping every now and then to glance over his shoulder, making sure that the gateway to the world he knew was still there. He felt uneasy leaving it behind. Soon it was no more than a white disk the size of a dime, floating above the street far behind him.

He was turned around, watching the light shrink away behind him, when he suddenly bumped into something. With a start he turned around, and found himself staring face-to face with- you guessed it- a ghost.

He stumbled backwards a pace, and began fumbling behind his back for the hose of the Poltergust. The floating specter watched him with an expression of very vague interest, making no move to attack or run. In fact, it made no move at all until Luigi finally got the vacuum's nozzle in his hands, and had it pointed at the apparition.

"Don't shoot," it said, raising its arms. Its tone held a hint of amusement, though its voice was rather dull. "I come in peace, sir."

Luigi didn't lower his weapon, nor did he fire. The ghost was on the short side, about as tall as Mario, and was pale blue in color. In place of feet it had the stereotypical ghostly tail, and its arms were slender and seemingly frail. Its eyes were bright green, and its practically lipless mouth was crooked upwards in one corner in an amused smile.

"Please forgive my saying it, sir, but when I first saw you I was terrified you could be a threat. Now that I've met you I see that perhaps I was mistaken," it said in a smooth voice. "Please, put that away, now, and perhaps we can talk like civilized people."

Luigi nervously began to slowly lower the Poltergust, still wary of the ghost. The ghost in turn lowered its arms, and folded them across its chest. "There, that's better, isn't it? I suppose that now you'll require an explanation, and an introduction. I am Henry Worchester, and I believe that, if I am not mistaken, you are Luigi Mario, one of the famed Mario brothers, the world-renowned duo of courageous heroes. Correct?"

The young man blinked, surprised by the ghost's knowledge of him, and by its very articulate form of speech. He nodded, though he was still unsure of whether he could trust Henry Worchester.

Henry smiled wryly. "Well, I see it's true that you are the more reserved of the two. Either that or you are actually mute. As far as some people are concerned, you might as well be, for all you contribute vocally. From what I've heard your brother usually does all the talking, and enjoys every minute of it."

Luigi got the vague idea that somehow he had been insulted, and at last spoke up. "I can talk," he said with a small frown. "I just choose not to. Sometimes there's no need to say anything at all. How do you know so much about me?" he added suspiciously.

The ghost chuckled. "Well, believe it or not, I'm actually fascinated by your realm, and everything dwelling in it. And as I am dead, and therefore cannot die, I literally have all the time in the world to study you. When I discovered that Professor Elvin Gadd was building a machine that would allow him to 'cross over', as it were, I decided I'd come here to welcome him. I had no idea he was to be accompanied by you, Luigi. I didn't think you'd be interested in entering a world full of everything you fear."

"I wasn't interested at all," Luigi admitted. "But he dragged me into it. Now if I left I'd feel guilty for bailing. I'm stuck."

"Who're you talkin' to, Luigi?" Gadd's voice came suddenly, accompanied by buzzing and vibrations from the GB Horror. "Is it a ghost?"

"Actually, yes," Luigi said, looking at the screen of the portable communicator. "Where are you?"

"In a town of some kind, but there's no one in sight… wait a minute, did you say you _were_ talking to a ghost?!? Incredible! That's fantastic! What's it doing?"

Henry's crooked smile broadened. "May I?" he asked, extending a faintly glowing, partially transparent hand. Luigi nodded and passed the GB Horror to the ghost, who looked it over with obvious fascination before speaking to the scientist through it.

"My name is Henry Worchester, Professor. I am engaging in a casual conversation with your friend. I had hoped to meet you, Professor, for I am, like you, a passionate researcher of the opposite realm."

"Incredible," Gadd said again. "Yes, perhaps we could exchange information, eh? Hoho, who'd have thought, the researcher being researched. Anywho, we'll talk later. At the moment I'd like to explore this town a little more." With that he signed off.

"Is he always this… random?" Henry said, handing the Gameboy back to Luigi, who pocketed it.

He laughed. "Yeah, he really is." He could scarcely believe it, but he found that not only was he no longer afraid of the ghost, but was actually enjoying his company.

Suddenly there was a loud rumbling noise, and the ground quaked under foot. Luigi gave a started squeal and looked around, wide-eyed. Henry seemed tense as well, and his green eyes flashed nervously. "Oh no…" he moaned softly.

"What? What is it?" Luigi said fearfully, turning to face the pale blue ghost. Henry floated up to him and grabbed his wrist. Luigi shuddered involuntarily at his cold, clammy touch as the being began to pull him down the street with surprising force.

"No time, just follow me, quickly!" Henry replied, and Luigi didn't bother questioning him further yet. They rushed down a back alley and almost ran into(or rather, ran _over_) Professor E. Gadd, who was apparently on his way to meet them. Before the aged scientist could open his mouth, Henry had grabbed him by the cuff of his long white lab coat, and pulled him into a nearby run-down house, slamming the door behind them.


	3. Hunted

**Hunted**

"What's the big idea? My Poltergust's still out there, I need it!" Gadd said indignantly, making for the door.

Henry floated in front of him, his arms crossed stubbornly. "Trust me, Professor; you ought to take the chance of leaving it. It'll probably be fine, anyway. They aren't looking for a vacuum."

"Who's 'they'? What's going on?" Gadd demanded, trying determinately to try to get past Henry, who continued to block him.

The ghost shook his head. "Tell me, when was the last time you viewed your gallery, Professor?"

Gadd stopped and looked thoughtful. "Well, I'm not sure, to be honest. I've been so wrapped up in my machine that I-"

"Haven't noticed that King Boo and the other ghosts have escaped once more, and fled to the spirit realm to recuperate and plot revenge against you- against both of you?" Henry finished for him. The professor gawked at him, flabbergasted, and Luigi looked up sharply, snapped out of whatever thoughts were going through his mind.

"Do you mean that all those ghosts I caught are out there right now, looking for us?" he said, his voice high-pitched and squeaky. There was another loud booming sound like thunder, and the earth quaked again.

"You underestimated King Boo's power," Henry replied. "He swore to avenge himself, and every other ghost ever imprisoned by Prof. Gadd. He's got numerous connections, and has undoubtedly heard of your entry to our world by now. He must be searching for you."

There was another booming rumble, and Luigi whimpered. Gadd, however, seemed deep in thought. "Well," he said presently, "We can't exactly stay here forever. He'll have to call off the search sometime, temporarily anyway, and that's when we make our move."

"What move?" the other two chorused.

"I don't know. But once we_ have_ a plan, we'll know when to put it into action, won't we?" he said with a nearly toothless grin, pulling out his GBH and pushing buttons.

Luigi rolled his eyes. "Wow. That's helpful. What are you doing?" he asked curiously.

"I'm calculating," he replied, without looking up. "Didn't know the GBHes could do that, did ya? Heh, well, you wouldn't know, because yours doesn't do that at all… but that's beside the point, isn't it?" Henry peered over his shoulder with interest, occasionally nodding or shaking his head as he followed along with the calculations.

Luigi shook his head, jumping slightly as another tremor ran through the floor. He looked around the room, which did little to improve his mood; it was very dismal. The walls were a pale sickly lavender, and were bare save for one cracked frame, which was empty. There was a small round table and two chairs, which were caked with dust and festooned with cobwebs. In the middle of the table was a tarnished silver candle holder, with three purple-flamed candles burning in it. The wood-paneled floor was unfinished and dusty.

He dusted off a chair and seated himself on it, waiting for E. Gadd to finish his calculations and making an attempt to think up a plan himself. After a while he looked over at the others and spoke up. "Do we have a plan yet or what?"

Prof. Gadd adjusted his spectacles and cleared his throat authoritatively. "Well, technically no but it's coming along nicely, really," he said. "See, I've been doing some calculations, as you know, concerning boos and how long the daylight lasts and whatnot. I figure that, at present, the best thing to do is to wait for a chance to bolt, close up the portal, and return at a later date better equipped and with more backup."

Luigi nodded. "Good idea," he said. "Do we have any idea when King Boo will stop searching?"

"That's the part we haven't figured out yet," Henry said. "You see, most ghosts dislike daylight, but boos above all others despise and fear it. When the sun rises they're likely to call off the search and hide themselves in the darkest corners they can find, though we can't be sure. Until we are sure, though, it may be safer to hide in my home. I'm sure that at the least you'd be more comfortable there than here."

"Wait, you mean this isn't even your house?" Luigi said skeptically, raising an eyebrow. "You just pulled us off the street into some random building?"

"Well, yes," Henry said sheepishly. "To be entirely honest, I panicked somewhat in the heat of the moment. I must say I was glad to find this home unoccupied. At any rate, will you come with me? It's not far."

Prof. E. Gadd pocketed his GBH and nodded. "Sounds good to me. What d'you say, young feller?"

Luigi stood up. "As long as it's less dismal than this place," he said.

Henry chuckled. "Oh, yes, it certainly is. Still a bit gloomy for your tastes, perhaps, but nothing like _this_ sorry hovel. Come on, take my hands and we could go invisible on the way there."

"And I'll get my Poltergust 3001," Gadd piped up. He enthusiastically gripped Henry's right hand, who in turn drifted over to Luigi and took _his_ right hand.

Going invisible was a bizarre sensation, to say the least. Luigi felt like his entire body had fallen asleep, and when he held out his left hand he found that he couldn't see it at all. A voice came out of the air to the right of him. "Are we all ready? Good, let us go then." The door opened, and they walked out. For a moment he could see the Poltergust 3001 lying where they'd left it by the curb, and then it too vanished as Gadd grabbed the machine.

They walked together in this manner for a while, taking several turns and a few back alleys to reach their final destination; a slate colored two-story house, with a large yard full of crab-grass and nettles. The door was a dull white. It opened on its own and the trio stepped in, and shut the door behind them, gaining visibility again.

The foyer was surprisingly impressive, with all the splendor and charm of a magnificent mansion which has been abandoned but untouched by the elements for many years. A thick red carpet covered the floor, and a lovely grand staircase with polished wooden banisters came down to meet them. The stairs looked like some kind of stone, not quite marble but something similar. A crystal chandelier hung from the high ceiling. The entire scene was covered by a layer of dust, and thick red curtains covered the windows, making it dark and dull-looking.

Luigi took a few steps in and spun slowly around, nodding appreciatively. "Wow. Nicer than I'd expected from a ghost," he said. "No offence," he added hastily. "It's just that most ghosts seem to prefer the mausoleum-type setting."

Henry laughed. "None taken, my friend. I know what you mean. Anyway I'm glad you like my house so far. It's not often I entertain guests of any kind, so I rarely worry about making it satisfactory for others."

"Yup, it sure is nice indeed. If you don't mind, sonny, I'd like a look around." Gadd said, wiping some dust from the banister and rubbing it between his fingers experimentally.

Henry bowed regally. "Please, be my guest, Professor," he said, smiling. "That goes for you too, Luigi," he added to the plumber. "My house is open to you both. My bathrooms, bedrooms, library, kitchen; they're all at your disposal. Er, within reason, of course."

"Naturally," Gadd replied. And without any more hesitation he headed up the stairs, holding his GBH out in front of him like a scanner and snapping several photos with his camera. Luigi wandered rather aimlessly through a door to the left, and Henry, satisfied that he had done all he could for the time being, exited through a door on the right.

Meanwhile, in a dark castle not far away…

"RRRR, where ARE they?" the moody king bellowed at his hapless guard, his fierce black eyes burning like embers in his pale face. "Two humans in the middle of the ghost world, ESPECIALLY those two bumbling idiots, SHOULDN'T be too hard to track down!"

"W-w-w-we're doing the best we can," stuttered the boo that floated before him. "W-w-we're afraid they may be getting aid from an-n-n-nother ghost! The ghost realm is too big, it'll take forever to find them if they're being helped!"

King Boo pouted sulkily. "I guess I can see your point, but I can't exactly let them traipse in here and get away with it. My revenge was ruined last time by that cowardly plumber, but this time he won't get away again. I don't even care about getting Mario any more. After what his brother did to us, to me…" he clenched his teeth, and his round white cheeks burned red. After a second he took a deep breath and seemed to calm down.

"Well, you get my point. He must be found and destroyed, along with that horrible annoying old coot. But how…"

At that moment, another boo zoomed in through the wall, carrying an armload of yellowed scrolls of parchment. "Your Majesty!" he cried. In his hurry he bumped into the first guard, and they were both knocked backwards, parchments flying everywhere.

"YOU DUNDERING OAF! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, YOU MORON!" King Boo bellowed in a sudden and seemingly un-provoked rage.

"I-I-I'm sorry, M-m-my Lord," the boo said, hurrying to gather the scattered papers. "But I've just returned from a raid, and I think you'll be very interested in what I have."

"What is it? Give me those papers!" the king said, snatching the scrolls and opening them. He began to read, and as he did, his scowl began to crack into a wicked grin, his small fangs glinting in the flickering candle light. "This is it," he hissed. "This is the secret weapon we needed! The added edge that will succeed in cutting those fools to the quick! They'll fall on their knees and beg for mercy when I'm through with them! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!" he cackled evilly.


	4. The Plot

Hey, this is the shortest chapter so far, I believe.I'm really glad to have finally gotten a review; it moved me to stir my lazy rear and put up the rest of these chapters - Thanks!

Disclamer: Blah, blah, blah. I own northing but Henry and the storyline.

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**The Plot**

"NOOOO!" the cry rang through the house, making Luigi and Prof. E. Gadd jump. They both stopped what they were doing and ran through the house, trying to find the source of the cry of despair. At last they entered a huge room, at almost exactly the same time, found Henry, floating in the middle of a disaster area.

"My library!" he sobbed. "Look at this mess! Vandals, thieves! What they didn't take they destroyed, the villains!"

"Who?" the humans both said at once.

"I have NO IDEA!" Henry cried passionately. "Do you realize what this means? All my research! Years and years of tireless studying, gone! All gone! Someone's stolen it all! And that's not the worst of it, either!" He slumped into an armchair, looking hopelessly around what was once a magnificent library.

"Why? What's worse than this?" Luigi said, beckoning around the room with a gloved hand.

"The research that they stole… was almost all about you!" he wailed. "I was following your lives, writing down everything I observed! Those notes contain all sorts of information, from your favorite food to your ages to your… well, to cut it short, EVERYTHING! Both of you, and Mario, and Peach and Toad and Bowser and, and… it's all my fault, all that information has probably fallen into the wrong hands and it's all my fault!"

Luigi patted his back consolingly. "C'mon, it can't be that bad. Don't sweat it; it's not _all_ your fault. We'll get that stuff back, won't we, Professor?"

"We certainly must try," Gadd said. "With all that info, our enemies may well have the upper hand on us. We've got to get back to the lab as soon as possible."

In a dingy dungeon-like room, King Boo and his three most trusted advisors had the notes spread out across a huge table, and were reading through them with interest.

"Hey, did you know Luigi's afraid of spiders?"

"That's not news; Luigi's afraid of everything."

"Well it's better than what _you've_ gotten so far."

"Oh yeah? Listen to this: Toad still sleeps with a teddy bear."

"Hahaha, I'm not even surprised!"

"Who CARES?"

"No one _cares_, but it's funny!"

"SHUT UP!" King Boo shouted, ending their bickering. "I'm not interested in trivialities. I need major things, like what they most fear, or what they hold most dear."

"Hey, that rhymed, boss."

The king shot an icy glare at the ghost who'd spoken. The boo shrank back and fell silent, fearful of the wrath of his king. "Now," King Boo continued calmly. "I believe I've found something. In fact, I think I may just have found everything I need. These few pages are devoted to Gadd, and these are for Luigi. All of the basics, none of that silly nit-picky stuff. Listen," he said, and, clearing his throat, he picked up a paper and began to read it aloud.

"Professor Elvin Z. Gadd is a dedicated scientist, whose passion is studying ghosts. His life is devoted to his work, and to his inventions, not to mention the two businesses he runs; Gadd Sciences, Inc. and Starbeans Café, both successful businesses that he loves. He was once afraid of ghosts but obviously isn't any more...'

"Hmm… so, what would hurt him most would be to destroy his life's work. I say we burn his precious lab, demolish Starbeans Café, shut down Gadd Science, Inc., and basically ruin his life. Sound good?"

There were murmurs of general agreement. With that settled he shuffled though some more papers until he got to some about Luigi.

"'Luigi Mario is not what you'd call cowardly, per-say. He is able to face his fears when he knows he must, which is _technically_ the definition of bravery, but as it stands he is undoubtedly afraid of practically everything, including but not limited to: ghosts, the dark, Bowser, spiders, snakes, mold, monsters, graveyards…'"

"Er, pardon me, sir, but perhaps you should skip ahead a bit. We already know all that."

"You're right. Let's see, um… 'Luigi is rather sensitive and compassionate, and loves his brother Mario, and his friends Toad, Yoshi, Peach, and Daisy.' Aww, ain't that sweet? 'It is rumored that he has a special place in his heart for Daisy, the flower-loving Sarasaland princess. Though these rumors are admittedly unconfirmed, almost everyone agrees that they'd make a nice couple, and that Luigi definitely has at least some feelings for her…'

"This is it, boys. That right there was the answer. We do the totally unoriginal steal-the-girlfriend trick, and lure him to us… and then we kill her. Right in front of him. And then, after he's all heartbroken and distraught, we kill him, too."

There was a rousing cheer at this proposition. There was nothing like cruelty and bloodshed to make these boos' day. So they put their heads together and began to plot their moves, cackling madly at their own abominable plans.


	5. Abduction

Don't bother asking why, but I really like this chapter, for some odd reason. Even though it's corny and a little melodramatic XD Anyway I hope that you like it too, please RR and let me know!

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**Abduction**

"How much longer before dawn?" Gadd asked Henry. He was pacing the length of the ruined library worriedly.

Henry glanced at a clock on the wall. "A couple more hours," he said dismally.

"A couple of hours too many," Gadd grumbled. "We need to get back to that portal, before they get to it. They could know all about it by now, and all about, well, everything else, I suppose."

"Not necessarily. We still don't know for sure who took those notes," Luigi pointed out.

"Yeah, but we don't want to take the chance, do we, sonny? Listen here, young feller, I don't think you are completely grasping the direness of the situation. They could know _everything._ That means they know where you live, where I live, what we do, who we know and love… Don't you understand, Luigi? I don't have anyone dear to me really, but you do, and those people could be in danger."

The weight of the professor's words sank in slowly, and Luigi was silent as he thought about what Gadd had said. He was right; they had to be prepared for anything. The idea of his friends being in danger because of him made Luigi feel guilty, which was made worse by the fact that there was nothing he could do until dawn, which was still hours away. Once again, he was stuck. He groaned miserably; there was nothing to do now but wait.

The boos' plan was simple; they would use the ghost portal to enter the mortal world, fly to Sarasaland and kidnap Daisy, and come back and set fire to the lab on their way out. They could deal with Starbeans Café and Gadd Science Inc. later, they'd decided.

They were about to depart when one boo suddenly thought of something. "Your Majesty, what about Mario? If they go back through the portal and get his help, they might have a chance of winning."

There followed some more murmurs of agreement. Yes, what of Mario? King Boo silenced them with a wave of one small arm. "I've already thought of that. Listen, all we have to do is get him out of the way first. We'll trick him and kidnap him, too. Put him into a painting again, ha! That'll add to our revenge on his brother later. We kill the princess, burn Mario's painting, and _then_ kill Luigi."

"All right!" the boos cheered ecstatically. They raced off into the night, filling the air with their maniacal laughter.

Mario was sitting at his kitchen table, drinking a glass of milk. It was late, but he wasn't tired. He couldn't get to sleep (he had already tried), so he had given up and was now sitting and thinking about nothing in particular.

He thought about Peach, and how pretty she was, and weighed out the possibilities of her ever wanting him for the millionth time. He thought about Bowser, and wondered vaguely whether he'd ever give up and realize that he could never possibly win. He thought about Isle Delphino, and a dreamy smile appeared on his face as he imagined himself lying on the beach, with the sound of the ocean in the background and a beautiful sunset in the distance.

After a while his thoughts drifted to his brother, Luigi. He wondered what the professor had wanted, and what they were doing now. He chuckled quietly to himself. It probably had something to do with ghosts. Poor Weege; he knew his brother was too polite to turn Prof. Gadd down, but he also knew beyond a doubt that Luigi would be scared to death.

He had been staring blankly at the wall in front of him, and after a while he became dimly aware that there was something odd about the wall tonight… it looked like it had eyes, and a wide, fanged mouth.

……wait, what? Mario rubbed his eyes and did a double take, staring hard at the wall. The face was gone. He sighed. "I'm more tired than I thought," he mumbled to himself.

"That's right…" a ghostly voce whispered. "Go to sleep. You need your rest…" it crooned softly. Mario was wide awake in an instant.

"Who's there?" he said, standing up and looking around, tense and ready for an attack. "Show yourself!"

"With pleasure," an all-too-familiar voice hissed, and a white mist began to form before him, materializing into a floating white ball, with black eyes that burned with hatred, and a ruby crown resting atop its head. "Remember me?"

"King Boo!" Mario cried. He took a step backwards, into the waiting hands of a half a dozen more of the evil ghosts. They cackled with pleasure. Mario struggled madly, and may have gotten free if not for the fact that suddenly a boo grabbed a heavy cast-iron skillet off the oven, and swung it with all his might at Mario's head. There was a second of intense pain, then everything went black.

Sleep was eluding Daisy that night as well. After hours of lying in bed wide awake, she had grown restless and silently risen, slipping on her dainty yellow slippers and softly creeping down the halls of her castle. She moved almost silently, thanks to years of practice as a child; sneaking down to the kitchens for midnight snacks, slipping out when she was supposed to be grounded…

She came at last to the kitchen, but tonight she didn't stop there. Instead she quietly opened the door to the gardens, slipping out and softly pushing the door almost shut behind her. The night was clear and warm, and a bright moon, nearly full, illuminated her own personal paradise.

She breathed deeply, drinking in the clean night air. She loved nights like this; they seemed mysterious and romantic. She walked slowly through the immense garden, her nimble fingers lovingly caressing each plant she passed. Although most of her beloved flowers were closed for the night, she always thought they were beautiful, anyway.

At last she came to the place she had been making for; a large trellis leaning against an old birch, entwined by slender green vines which twisted around it and the trunk of the tree. Round flowers nearly as big around as her face shone pale white in the moonlight. She knelt beside the plants, heedless of the dirt staining her soft yellow nightgown, and gently pulled a large blossom towards her.

She buried her face in the bloom, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply. She loved moonflowers for the same reason that she loved clear, starry nights and full moons; they were so enticing, so enchanting and beautiful. She found them romantic, somehow. Romantic….

She found herself wishing that Luigi were here to share the moment with her. She felt somehow that he would enjoy it the way she did, that he was the sort of person who would love starry nights and sweet flowers. She pulled away from the bloom and smiled at it. When she opened her eyes, she was astonished to find that it was smiling back.

She screamed and fell backwards as the flower shriveled, turned brown and died before her eyes, and out of it's sad, dry corpse rose a round white ghost, a thing that she immediately recognized as a boo. She felt a hot tear of anger roll down her soft pink cheek, and she rose to her feet, glaring at the ghost heatedly.

"What's the matter princess? Mad that you can't smell your pretty little flower anymore? Well, that's all right. I brought a substitute," it said, grinning wickedly.

Suddenly a strong-smelling plant was thrust under her nose by a boo behind her. She gagged and tried not to breathe it in, but it was too late. Her vision clouded, and she collapsed to the ground, the sounds of cruel laughter ringing in her ears.


	6. Ashes

This has to be the sappiest chapter yet XP I didn't realize how bad it was until I went back and re-read it, but it's one of those things where you roll youreyes while you're reading it. Sorry in advance - 

I own nothin, except Henry.**

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**Ashes**

"Hey there, young feller! Get up; this is no time for snoozing!"

Luigi awoke with a start, sitting up and looking around. It took him a minute to remember where he was. While Gadd had been able to keep himself occupied with studying Henry and Henry's house, Luigi had had nothing to keep his mind busy until dawn, and so had drifted off in the library armchair.

"You fell asleep," the professor stated. "I'd have let you keep right on sleeping, of course, but it's morning, and we've got work to do! C'mon, get up; we've got to get to the lab, quick!"

"Huh? …Oh, right. Yeah, I'm up," the young man mumbled, still half asleep. He rubbed his eyes and stood up, stretching to rid himself of the crick in his neck.

"All right. Henry said that we can use his house as a sort of home base in this realm. I'm leaving all my equipment here for when we come back. I've programmed a map from here to the portal into my GBH, and sent it to yours so you'll have a copy, too. All right, now let's go!"

On their way out, they met Henry, who said goodbye and wished them luck. As they were leaving Luigi mumbled, "Did you let him have coffee?"

Henry grinned apologetically. "Heh, sorry. I hadn't considered the consequences of adding a caffeine boost to his already high energy. Well, anyway, goodbye, and I hope to see you both again soon."

"Mmm-hmm," he murmured tiredly. He followed Prof. Gadd through the now sunny and almost even cheerful ghost realm, trusting blindly that the map they were following was accurate. Luckily, it was, and before long they were back at the portal.

They stepped through unceremoniously, Gadd crossing first and Luigi after him. When the younger man came through he bumped into Gadd who had stopped dead in his tracks. The old man let out a soft incoherent moan, and the GBH dropped from his large wrinkled hand with a clatter. Luigi looked around and gasped.

The lab wasn't there. In its place were piles of black sooty ashes and charred bits of rubble. The morning had dawned cold and wet, and thick steam was rising from the sad remains of the laboratory, creating a dense fog that rolled out under the trees of Forever Forest in the distance. Wherever there had been a large machine or a cabinet full of chemicals there was now evidence of explosions.

The professor choked out a dry sob as he took a shaky step forward. Luckily the portal had remained intact, and relatively undamaged, but that was little comfort for the man. He picked up a handful of ashes from where the messy table had once stood. "This is my research," he said. He let it slip through his fingers and drift away on the cold breeze.

Crouching by a large ring of scorched earth where an explosion had obviously taken place, he picked up a blackened bolt. "The Ghost Portrificationizer," he said weakly. It'd taken him half a lifetime to invent, design and build the machine. It had taken about twenty minutes to destroy it.

"What happened here?" Luigi breathed, awestruck. He slowly stepped down from the metal base that the portal stood on. Avoiding a smoking piece of wood, which had probably once been a support beam, he made his way to the distraught professor.

"Isn't it obvious?" came the reply from another part of the house. Luigi looked around and saw him standing in what had been his gallery. He could still see the angel statues, which had been partially broken but obviously couldn't burn. The old man was holding an empty frame in his hands. "Those boos did this. We shouldn't have waited for dawn. All my work… my research… Hey, what's that?" he said suddenly, dropping the frame abruptly and walking to a pile of ashes.

Luigi followed him around a large pile of rubble to where a splash of color came unexpected in the bleak, grey scene. Something bright red was lying in the soot, and even from a distance Luigi knew at once what it was. "Oh no…" he said, running over and dropping to his knees to examine the item.

It was a bright red cap, identical to Luigi's apart from the color, and the patch, which instead of an "L" bore the red letter "M". He picked it up hopelessly. Not again… But suddenly he noticed something else; a bright glimmer caught his eye, and he saw that lying underneath Mario's hat was a single fresh daisy, and through its stem was stuck a broach in the shape of a flower, with a bright emerald as the center, surrounded by diamond petals.

He picked up the flower, his eyes wide. No way, that was impossible… He was startled by a gentle hand on his shoulder. "They got you, too, eh?" Gadd said softly. "But what's that?" he added, indicating the flower and broach.

Luigi bit his lip, trying to fight back tears. Daisy. Mario and Daisy. They were gone, captured, and it was his fault. "We have to go back," he said, his voice cracking slightly.

"What, now? We can't; we're not properly equipped! We'll be steamrollered by those spooks!" Gadd said, bewildered. "I know you're upset, my boy, but we have to be rational."

Luigi was ignoring him. He stood and solemnly put the broach in his pocket, and walked towards the portal, the cap in one hand and the flower in the other. He stood staring at the black hole for a moment, uneasy. The professor had a point. As it stood, there was little chance of success. He shook his head. No, he had to try. He had to! This was no time to chicken out. "You can stay if you want," he said, his voice tremulous. "But I have to go."

Gadd nodded understandingly and walked to the portal, picking up his Gameboy Horror standing beside Luigi. Together the walked through, leaving behind the remains of the lab, a sickening reminder of the boos' cruelty and hatred.


	7. A Strange Reunion

Whoot, it's a chappy with my favorite ghost from Luigi's Mansion! Yay for her - I did this chapter more in the style that the Madame Clairvoya scenes were in the game, where she rambles on and on... and on... and on. Most of this rather short chapter is her talking XD But I actually really like this chappy- what do YOU think? RR to tell me...**

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**A Strange Reunion**

"Well," Henry said, after the two had relayed their story, "At the very least, we now know their plan. Unfortunately one part of their despicable plot has already been irreversibly carried out; they've had their revenge on you, Professor. As for Luigi, I believe that they plan on luring you to them, using your loved ones as bait. I know there's no stopping you from going, but I will say this: you must be very careful."

They nodded. "But we don't know where they are, or what they've done with Mario and Daisy," Gadd said. "We need to know that before we can do anything, don't ya know."

"Dou you know where they could be?" Luigi said to Henry.

The blue ghost shook his translucent head. "No, but I know of someone who could find out for us," he said. "Come with me, and bring the things you found at the lab."

They followed him out of the house, not bothering with the invisibility because it was broad daylight. They were walking for about ten minutes, maybe longer, and Luigi began to wonder whether they were lost when at last Henry called the halt at the door of a low building.

He reached up and knocked sharply on the wooden door. There was no answer. He knocked again, but there was still no reply. After a moment he turned the silver half-moon shaped doorknob and pushed the door open. "It's all right, we can go in anyway," he explained, leading them inside. "It's just that I don't like to go anyplace without knocking first."

The room he led them into was dark, and the air was thick and stifling. Several incense burners filled the air with sweet, heavy smells, with blue smoke rising from them and giving the room a mysterious atmosphere. In the back of the room were four pillars arranged in a square, with gossamer scarves hanging from it in a filmy shroud. Inside of this display was a low table, with brightly colored silk draped over it, and a single cloudy crystal ball sat in the middle of it.

As they slowly approached the table, a pair of glowing yellow eyes could be seen floating in midair, watching them. This would probably have freaked Luigi out, except that he recognized those eyes immediately.

A dreamy voice spoke. "Ah, I see that the green-clad crusader has returned. On another adventure, are we?" Around the eyes the rest of the being materialized, becoming the figure of a female ghost, draped in silk and with many pendants and beads dangling from her neck and wrists. Her face was entirely wrapped in scarves save for her inquisitive yellow eyes.

Henry laughed quietly. "Oh, I had forgotten you knew each other!" he said, more to himself than anyone else.

"Madame Clairvoya, you won't believe this, but Mario's been kidnapped again," Luigi said, handing her the cap.

She studied it carefully. "I believe it," she said. "I have recently felt great unrest in the spirits… Anyways, I suppose you want me to tell you where he is, hmm? Of course you do."

She bent over her crystal, waving the hat over it as she stared into its depths. "Yes, this dropped item awakens vibrations in my spirit… It's singed here on the brim. What? Oh, I see. A fire. Yes, that makes sense. From what you tell me it seems to have been left there on purpose… Of course it was! And, I knew that, too, you see. Because I know all… Anyway, hmm….

"Ohh! They come! Now the spirits come! Come spirits of power, come spirits of sight! Show me the awful things occurring here tonight! … Oh, it's daytime? Oh well. It doesn't matter. Where was I? OH yes. Ahem… Crystal orb, symbol of my clan, use your darkling power to show us all you could! I mean CAN! Show us all you can! Show us this… Mario!"

The roomed darkened even more, and the ground shook. This took Gadd aback somewhat, but the other two were expecting it. Madame Clairvoya closed her eyes and meditated for a moment, then suddenly her eyes flew open and she continued. "The light of the spirits comes! Show us what we seek!

"Let's see… Ah, yes. Your Mario is alive. He is held prisoner in… what's this? Can it be…? YES! He is imprisoned in… A PAINTING!" she cried dramatically. Luigi's jaw dropped. She had to be kidding. She cleared her throat and continued. "Yes, it is just as before! Only now, he is not at a bizarre altar, but hanging on the cold dark wall of a dungeon. Strange… there is another imprisoned with him in the dungeon… who is it…? _Where_ is it? I… ah, the spirits fall silent. This item no longer speaks to us."

She handed back the cap, and Luigi took it thoughtfully. "Well," he said, "If that didn't say where they are, maybe this will," he said, producing the broach. Madame Clairvoya took it and looked it over, her eyes glimmering with interest.

"Hmm, I see. This does not belong to Mario at all, does it? Why didn't you show me this item before? Ah, well, it's fine. Hmm…" She held the broach tightly in both hands, her eyes closed. "Yes, this belongs to a young lady. She is very important to you. You would do anything to get her back safely, I see… Haha, yes, it's quite obvious. I can see that you're blushing, even in this light. Well, shall I call up the spirits?"

She took a deep breath and repeated the same incantation as before, except that she replaced Mario's name with the words 'young woman', because she didn't know Daisy's name. Finally she gazed into the crystal ball and spoke.

"This lady's name is Daisy, I see. Ahh, well of course, I saw that before. Anyway, your Daisy is keeping Mario company in the dungeon. She is… hmm… Oh, I understand. She wasn't moving, so she had me worried for a second. No, she's safe, but she's fast asleep. But where are they? Oh, here it comes… Mmm… oh, it's a castle! I see a great dark castle, where Boo reigns supreme as king. He has Mario and Daisy there, but what he wants… is YOU! Er, sorry. I tend to get carried away, you know. Aaaand… the crystal has gone dark. That's all I can tell you."

She passed the jeweled broach back to Luigi, who took it gingerly, holding it carefully instead of putting it back in his pocket. "I hope what I have shown you has helped," Madame Clairvoya said in her dreamy voice.

Luigi nodded. "Yes," he said softly. "Thank you." He turned to leave, seeming to have forgotten his companions, when Madame Clairvoya's drifted to him from behind him.

"Oh, and Luigi, be careful. If you thought that rotten king was bad in the mansion, imagine how he'll be in his own castle. I mean, not to be disheartening, just a word of warning, you know. Anyway, good luck and goodbye!"

Luigi made a face. Yeah, that was encouraging. He turned around and forced a smile. "Yeah, thanks," he said.

"Goodbye, Madame Clairvoya. Thank you for the information," Henry said. "Come on, Professor, we need to get back and plan our… well, plan."

So they left together, and went back to Henry's large house, where they met in the library to figure out what they needed to do next.


End file.
